Honors Student Named 2010 Goldwater Scholar

Honors junior Matthew Douglas Reichl has been named a Barry M. Goldwater scholarship recipient for 2010. With this award, Reichl joins the ranks of the top science students in the United States. He is only the second Goldwater scholar in UH’s history.

The scholarship program, established by the U. S. Congress in 1986 to honor former U. S. Senator Barry Goldwater, awards scholarships to students pursuing careers in science, mathematics, and engineering. It is awarded to 300 college sophomores and juniors each year, and is considered the most prestigious award for an undergraduate student of the sciences.

Reichl has been conducting research under the guidance of Dr. Kevin Bassler for several years, and has participated in the Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship program (SURF) in 2009 and the Provost’s Undergraduate Research Scholarship program in spring 2010 (PURS) through the Office of Undergraduate Research. Professor Bassler, and professors John Miller and Donna Stokes, are Reichl’s three faculty mentors from the Physics department. After he completes his degree, Reichl plans to attend graduate school.

In addition to being a first-rate student and researcher, Reichl, a graduate of the High School for the Performing and Visual Arts, is a professional jazz pianist and performs regularly in the Houston area.